Rotary engine.



Gttowza/ Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

8 SHEETBSHEET l.

1Q $M 1R MR. Q n m U sw a r 0. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED D30. 11, 1908. 969,957.

0. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION IILBD DEO.17, 1909.

8 SHEETS-*SHBET 2.

Patented Sept. 13, 1 910.

wi/mwaoe-o O. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.17, 190s.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

QIZZ CO$ il I vs ul'o O. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION rum) 12110.17, 1908. 969,957, Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

a sums-sum 4.

IIIDIIII III law .Q7dc0 2 mini 5 a 9Q fi Patented Sept. 13,1910.

8 SHEEN-SHEET 5.

elm-nae 0. B. JACOBS. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION mum no. 11, 190B.

0. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION rn-nn DEO.17,'1908.

'Patented Sept. 13,1910.

B SHEETS-SHEET 6.

Z? N 53 mg W 9% Qw aHOZHi'iJ 0. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION rILnn no. 17, 1908.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

C I 1 u c n 1 lb 0612:163- Jacos,

0. B. JACOBS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION nun D20. 11, 1908.

Dix

SH van for,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLAUS B. JACOBS, OF CLEVELAND, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR 0F TWO-NINTHS TO EBD O. MULLENDORE, 0F CLEVELAND, OKLAHOMA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed December 17,1908. Serial No. 468,042.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ()mus B. JAcons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Pawnee and State of Oklahoma. have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines and particularly to that kind of rotary engine in which an outer cylinder carrying piston blades rotates around a central fixed shaft.

()ne object. of my invention is to provide such a rotary engine as above indicated, in which the outer revoluble piston casing shall relatively rotate eccentrically to the inner shaft, thereby providing .a fixed abutment against which the motive fluid used shall act, and a means for forcing the exhausted motive fluid out. of the piston space, and, in explosion engines, means for drawing in the charge. compressing it, and afterward foreing out the burned vapors after the explosion.

Another object is to use thecentral fixed shaft above referred to as a valve casing for the introduction andcduct ion of the motive fluid before and after use, the several induction and eduction ports being formed in this tubular shaft which is provided with a concentrically arranged cut oft. The advantages of this concentric arrangement of piston casing and outlet and exhaust passages and cut ofi's is obvious as it permits the relative movement of the supply and exhaust openings to be most easily regulated and conduces to simplicity of operation, the pistons to an extent, thus acting to admit and cut off steam or motive fluid.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine in which the outer rcvoluble piston-carrying casin surrounding a fixedeccentrically set tubular member, may be divided laterally into two portions or chambers and the engine then be capable of use with steam expansively'or used as an explosion engine, one of said chambers in the latter case being used as a compression chamber and the other as an expansion chamber.

In connection with my peculiar type of engine, I provide means for reversing its movement or stopping it entirely, and I have also devised a system of cooling the c linder walls thereof and feeding fuel ticreto when used as an explosion engine, these two latter inventions being described and claimed in applications, Serial Nos. 1157,3 19 and 457,350, filed by me October 12, 908.

The simple form of my invention as used for steam or other analogous fluid is shown in Sheets 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, while the form of my invention which is adapted to the expansive use of steam or to internal combustion engines is shown in Sheets 4-8 inclusive.

In the drawings :Fi re 1 is a longitudinal section of a simp e engine. Fi s. 2 and 3 are diametrical sections on the lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail section. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the engine and valve 0 erating lever. Figs. 6 and 7 are res ective y a longitudinal section and an eevation of the ported valve sleeve. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the inner rotatable valve. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section of .my explosive or double-acting en ine adapted to either use steam expansivey or to use as an internal combustion engine; Figs. 10 and 11 are vertical transverse sections of Fig. 9 on the lines 10-10 and l1-11; Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are diametrical sections on the lines 12 12, 13-13 and 14 14 of Fig. 9; Fig. 15 is a transverse section through the explosion chamber of the engine, showing one half of the inner cylinder or eccentric-in section on a plane taken throu h one of the inlet passages, and the other hal on a plane taken through one of the outlet passages. Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of a portion of the second piston cylinder, showing a modified manner of attaching'the blades to the sleeve; Fig. 17 is a perspective detail, further illustrating this modification; Fig. 18 is an end elevation partly in section; Fig. 19 is a fragmentary side elevation; Fig. 20 is a plan view of Fig. 9; Fig. 21 is a side elevation of the central shaft and the eccentric valve body; Fig. 22 is an end view thereof; Figs. 23 and 24 are side. elevations of opposed sides of the central ro tatable valve; Fig. 25 is a fragmentary detail of the extremity of the valve operating stem.

Q V beeps? Similar referencenumerals designate. corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. y

As Figs. 1-8 inclusive not only show one form of my invention but also illustrate the simplest construction thereof, I shall first describe this form.

In its broad features my engine comprisesa central fixed tubular shaft, which contains fluid inlet and outlet assz, es and supports upon it a fixed c lin er Taich is eccentric to the'axis of said shaft. A rotatin c linder casing carrying piston vanes or 1a es surrounds the eccentrlc body, said cylinder being concentric to the central shaft. A cylindrical shell or drum attached to the arms or blades surrounds the eccentric bodyan'd is rotatable thereon. It isprovided with exhaust and inlet ports which are adapted to register with they exhaust and inlet portsin the eccentric body and in the central tubular valve. The eccentric body is nonrotatable and against its outer surface the piston blades carried by the cylinder bear and move. It will be comprehended that the eccentric having a surface eccentric to the inner surface of the cylinder will approach nearer to or farther. from the cylinderas the cylinder rotates, and thus the blades must move in or outward radially as they are carried around the eccentric.

In detail the construction is as follows:

2 designates an ordinary base and 3 astandard thereon. The standa'rd3 has means for supporting and rigidly holdingthe tubular shaft, said means in the construction shown being a clamping jaw 4which surrounds the shaft and is drawn tightly against the same by a bolt/i. The opposed standard 5 does not support the central shaft, but instead rotatably supports the outer end of the outer cylinder, and hence'is provided with a journal bearing 6 of any convenient construction. This standard is further formed with a steam supply inlet ipe 8 and a steam chamber or head 8' to be ater described in detail.

Centml tubular oalve.--Mounted on the standard 3 is the tubular fixed shaft 9 which 1 connects at its outer end to an exhaust pipe 10 to form an exhaust passage 9. From about the middle of its length to the other end the shaft 9 is interiorly enlarged to receive an internal partiallyrotatable tube or lining section 11 forming a central valve which is divided at its middle into two portions by a transverse web 12. One portion 11." communicates with the exhaust passage 9', while the other 11 communicates with the axial passage formed in the cylinder end and has in' its circumference the inlet port 11. In Fig. 8 is shown a detail section of.

this tubular valve 11, and it will be seen that the exhaust portion 11 is formed with two exhaust ports 11.

Exterior pist0n eg Zin0Zer.'Mounted rota- H tably on the exterior of the shaft 9 is the cylinderl3x formed of a shell closed at the ends b fifhe heads'14 and 15, each of these "heads. eingformed with the central annular hubs 14-15. The hub l i surrounds the exterior of the central shaft 9 and rotates against the packing rings 16, while the hub 15 is carried in the bearin 6 and its central tubular portion 15" which registers with the open end of the valve 11,

opens into the inlet chamber 8 formed in the head 8. The heads are attached to the cylinder in any way best adapted to the purpose, as by the tappet bolts 13.

I do notvwish to be limited. to the precise manner of forming the cylinder and heads 13, let-and 15, as they may be made in any convenient and practicable manner, preferably, however, I formthem in three portions joined and connected by the bolts 13'. This permits the heads to be readily detached from the cylindrical shell and the rotary valves or blades to be set or adjusted when desired.

That portion of the central shaft 9 which is located beneath the space between the heads 14 and 15 is enlarged'and'cam-shaped in cross'section, as at 19. That is the periphery of this enlarged portion 19 is eccentric to the axial center of the shaft 9. This enlarged eccentric portion'19'I shall hereafter" term the fixed eccentric-body. v I

. Surrounding the annular eccentric body 19 is a cylindrical sleeve 20, an elevation and a section of which is shown in Figs. 6 and v the tubular valve 11. They will hence regis- A ten with the inlet port 11 at their inner ,ends. The passages 19 are circumferentially flared to provide an enlarged mouth adapted to coact with a plurality of pairs of inlet ports formed in the cylindrical sleeve 20. This sleeve, as) will be seen from Figs. 6 and7, is provided at one end with a series of three pairs of inlet ports 22;

These ports 22 are arranged in pairs, a pair to each piston space. The mouths of each pair of lnlet ports are separated from each other, that is the outer end wallsof the port extend radially inward throughthe sleeve toward the center thereof, while the inner ends of the ports extend inward and then toward each other and then downextended so that the port 19 when in engagement with one port 22 may also register with the other port of the pair. Thispair of inlet ports may be made as one elongated ort, but for the fact that this would ten to weaken the shell 20. The bridge piece 22 acts to strengthen this shell, and at the same time serves also to retard the inrush of vapor in a backward direction until the blades 23 have passed the central points thus helping the movement from the central position, the openings not registering until the central point is passed. My purpose in using the bridge pieces 22" is to slightly retard the backward flow of vapors during the opening of the ports. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that there is one inlet'port in the central valve 11, two inlet passages or ports in the eccentric valve body 19 and three pairs of inlet ports in the rotating sleeve 20. It will therefore be evident that the central valve can only register with one of the inlet ports in the eccentric 19, that-only two of the inlet ports 22" can register at the same time with the passages 19 and that therefore one pair of inlet ports 22 must be entirely closed by the solid portion of the eccentric body 19 while steam can only enter through one set of inlet ports 11, 19, 22 into one of the piston spaces A, B, O.

Eduction ports and valve b0d;!/.-The eduction port-ion 11 of the central valve 11 is provided with two eduction ports 11 diametrically opposed to the inlet port 11 and in line with each other. The eccentric valve body also has two parallel series of eduction passages 19" opening at their inner ends against the periphery of the tubular valve 11 and adapted therefore to register, one or the other with the eduction ports 11".

The sleeve 20 is correspondingly ported, as is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, it being provided with two. parallel series of eduction ports 22", and there are six, of these ports arranged in pairs, two for each valve space. The ports of each pair are adapted to register with the flared mouth of an eduction passage 19", while one of the passages 19 and only one is adapted to register with the eduction ports 11 in the valve body 11. Thus the passages 19 on one side of the eccentric body are closed to the central valve While the opposed ports 19 are open to the central valve and to the ports 22 registering therewith. There are three sets of ports 22 which are relatively fixed with relation to the piston space immediately outside it, and it will also be seen from Fig. 3 and from Fig. 8 that the eduction ports which are opposed to the inlet ports are opened while the eduction ports in the same diametrical position as the-mlet ports 22" are closed. Thus itwill be seen that the piston space A (Fig. 3) will be receiving steam While the cylinder space B will neither be receiving nor exhausting the steam and the cylinder space C opposed to the space A will be exhausting.

Piston blade construction.-As before stated, the shell 22 rotates with the exterior cylinder 13, and its ports 22, 22" move across the ports 19", 19 of the fixed eccentric, thus cutting off or opening these rts to permit the inlet of live steam and the outlet of exhausted steam.

The piston blades of my engine are designated by thenumeral 23. Tl e piston blades must of course rotate with the outer cylinder and equally they must have steam tight engagement with the periphery of the eccentric valve body 19. This enga ement I produce by pivotin the piston b ads to the sleeve 22. In. or er to provide for the relative outward movement of the blades as the outer surface of the eccentric nears the inner surface of the cylinder 13, at the'lowest point of rotation'of the cylinder, I rovide three transverse pockets 24 exten ing lon itudinally across the cylinder, one for eac blade which permit the radial movement of the blades, and engage the blades with the cylinder for a rotative movement. Because of the fact that the cylinder 13 has a difi'erent longitudinal axis from the sleeve 20 and eccentric 19, the blades 23 will change their radial angle within certain limits according to their position on the cylinder. I make the pockets 24 therefore with outwardly inclined or flared side walls, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These figures show the different radial positions assumed by the blades at their different points of revolution. It will be seen that this construction not only permits the blades to vary their angle but relieves the piston blades of a great deal of-frictional contact with the side walls of the pockets. The blades contact only with the corners of the pocket walls and have a turning movement thereon.. It will also be seen that the steam or other motive fluid will hold the blade in contact with the pocket wall, and make a relatively tight joint.

From Figs. 2 and 3, it will be evident that owing to the greater diameter of the cylinder 13 over the eccentric 19 and the varying distance-between them, the blades must constantly vary at their inner-edges from each other, depending upon the degree of their projection toward the axis of the cylinder and that provision must be made for this variation that they cannot therefore be rigidly fastened to the .sleeve 20, but must not only be pivoted to the sleeve to allow of difierent radial angles but also must 'be allowed to shift circumferentially around the shell within a certain limit of movement. form. a circumferential guideway around .the shell preferably in the form of a groove 25 dovetailed in section '(see Fig. 6) extending around the middle of the sleeve 20.

The blades are each provided with a base 23 (see Fig. 7) having beveled side ed es fitting the inside edges of the groove. T is base is cut away at its middle as at 23" to prevent these slidin blades from at any time closing the middle ports 22 in shell 20. In order to conveniently engagethe blades with the shell 20 I form one end of the shell withthe thickened portion 22, edge of this thickened portion being under cut to form the dovetailed end of the groove and I .form the other wall of the dovetail groove by sliding the sleeve 22 over the other end of the shell as shown in Fig. 6. The blades are pivoted each to its respective head 23 by a pivot pin 23 engaging ears on the base; Any suitable pivoting arrangement, however, may be used.

-0entml 'valoe operating mechansm.--It will be evident that the rotary valve 11 must be turned on its axis in order to start, stop or reverse the engine. In this instance, I provide the spindle 27 which at its inner end is. attached by anut to the web 12 and at its outer end is connected to-a suitable rotating handle. As I might use a number of other arrangements for "this purpose, I do not wish to be limited to this particular form. I prefer to extend the spindle out through a stufiin head 8' and attac to its end abifurcated crank arm 29 between the legs of which is pivoted a latching handle 30 whose inner end-in consequence of the weight on a-rm 30' normally engages with an are 31 formed on the head 8" and surrounding the stufling box. This are has three recesses in it into which the end of the latch engages in the three different positions of the central valve. The gland of the stuffing box is serrated to permit it tobe turned outward or inward. It will be seen that the open end of the hub 15 opens into the chamber 8 in head 8 and this in turn connects with the chamber 8 into which live steam or other motive fluid is admitted by pipe 8. In the description ofmy operation, I shall refer to steam as the motive fluid, but my device might be used with any other expanding gas or vapor to which it is adapted. General 0pemtz'0n.The operation of this simple form of m improvement is as follows :It is seen tiat three piston spaces A, B and C are provided, one between each two piston blades. The bottom of said spaces is formed by the sleeve 20 and each space has opening to it a pair of separated inlet ports 22 and a pair of separated outlet ports 22".

To provide for this movement, I

the

box 28 formed on the- It will also be seen that the fixed eccentric has in it two wide mouthed inlet passages 19 opposed to each other and two wide mouthed outle't passages 19 also opposed to each other, and that the rotary tubular valve 11*has one inlet 0 ening adapted to register with either one of the inlet passages 19 and a pair of outlet openings ll ada ted to register with either pair of oppose outlet passages 19 in the valve body 19. It will also be seen from Fig. 2 that the inlet passages 19 re ister with the pair of inlet ports 22 an that when the inlet port is opened to one of the iston spaces as A, the outlet port from tiat space is closed but that the outlet ports are opened from the opposed space C, assuming that the engine is moving in a direction of the hands of a clock or in the direction shown by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3. Steam will 'enter through the pipe 8, chamber 8 and tubular passage, through the'hub 15 into the inlet end 11' of the valve 11, thence by port 11 through the registering passage 19' and re istering ports 22 to the piston space shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The steam cannot get out of this space because the exhaust ports on the same side are closed as will be seen from Fig. 3', and therefore must act against vthe blade 23, a fixed abutment against which the steam can act being formed by the conjunction of the sleeve 20 with the wall of the c linder 13. The steam will therefore force the piston blade 23 forward until the rearmost port 22" of the space A haspassed the flared mouth of the passage 19. When the parts occupy the position shown at B in Fig. 2, the steam in this case has exerted its force and is doing no work, and the steam space is cut off either from the inlet of steam or the outlet-thereof,

as is the space 13. Taking now the position of the parts as shownwith'relation to the piston space B, it will be seen that asthe cylinderll continues to rotate, the blade 23 'will be forced outward by the gradual approach of the surfaces of cylinder 13 and of the sleeve 20. Thus the space between these two surfaces, or in other words the piston space, will be continuously contracted. At

the same time the eduction ports 22 will register with the eduction passages 19 which is in register with'the port 11*, and that upon this registration of these ports, the exhausted steam in that piston space will be gradually forced out until-such time as the surfaces are brought absolutely together, which will occur at the lowest point of rotation. -At this time, all of the live steam has been forced out of the space by the rolling contact between the eccentrically set sleeve and the inner face of the cylinder 11. As the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder pass the lowest point of rotation the wallswill gradually draw apart, at the lution wit same time, the induction ports of the sleeve will register with the induction passages 19 and 11, and steam will once more enter the piston space. It will be seen that the elongation of the inlet ports and of the outlet ports, or what is the same thing, the use of two ports, (prolon the period of steam'admission an of re ease.

By means of the lever handle 30 and crank 29, the spindle 27 may be rotated so that the ports 11, 11 may be turned either upwardly against the blank interior face of the eccentric valve body or to one side or the other into register with inlet ports on one side or the other. Thus steam may be directed either to one side of the piston or to the other, thus changing the direction of the engine or the inlet to steam maybe cut of: entirely when the rotatable valve is turned so that its port is entirely closed by the blank portion of the eccentric cylinder It is of course obvious that the valve may be held in any position desired by the latch lever 30 and that the size of'the inlet and exhaust openings in the-valve 11 may be varied by more or less rotation of the spindle 27, a greater or less portion of the ports 11, 11

eing obstructe by the wall of the eccentric 19. It will also be evident from Figs. 2 and 3 that the istons in the course of their revol ithe cylinder 13 will have a circumferential movement backward and for- Ward 'upon-the exterior of the sleeve 20 depending upon the variation in their angular direction.

Ewpanez'on .0)" internal combustion. enyina-The eneral princi he of the engine heretofore escribed is a so found in the form shown in Figs. 9 to 13, inclusive. The first form comprised briefly an outer cylinder and an internal cylinder eccentric to each other, blades carried by the? outer cylinder contacting with the inner, and an inlet port. and an outlet )ort diametrically opposed to each other an located at opposite ends of the cylinder. The fornrnow to be described is precisely the same in general except that two conjoined piston cylinders are used, thus forming two separate chambers, one' of which is used directly or for the compression;of motive fluid, while the other is for the purpose of using steam expansively or for the explosion of a char e, the valve mechanism being practically uplicated except that a conducting chamber is formed for conducting the steam or fluid from the first chamber to the second, and that one inlet passage through the eccentric forms a loading chamber in the explosion engine. In other words, what may be termed the inlet end of the cylinder is divided from the outlet end thereof by a partition, one of these spaces being used as a com ression chamber in gas engines, and the ot ier as an explosion chamber. This change necessitates various subordinate changes in the mechanism, particularly where the en ine is to be used as an explosion engine an requires an additional element, providing for firing the charge, rotating the internal valve when the engine is reversed and corresponding changes in the igniting devices adapting it to fire on one side of the engine or the ot er, and means for preventing back firing to the compression chamber.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 9, 30 designates a base having thereon-the standards 31 and 32. The standard 31 sup orts the end of the central fixed tubular sha t 40, the shaft being prevented from any rotative movement. by any suitable means, as by the clamp shown in Fig. 4 or by the key 40-. The standard 32 supports the journal bearing 32.

Outer cylinder, eccentric mulinter-m7 valve- Surrounding the shaft 40 is the rotatable cylinder 50 having hollow walls at its ends bolted to the heads 51, 52. The head 51 has a hub 51 which surrounds and rotates upon the shaft 40, the end of the hub being received in an annular gland or bearing 33. The head 52 has at its center the tubular extension 53 corres onding to the hub 51' but longer and closed at its ends by a web 53. The tubular extension 53 is rotatably supported in the journal 32.

Surrounding the shaft 40, and preferably, though not necessarily made in one iece with it, is the eccentric body 60 which 1s of the same width as the piston casing 50, and projects into the same. This eccentric is fixed of course, and its center is eccentric to the center of the outer cylindrical piston cylinder. Thus as the outer cylinder revolves around the center, the walls of the two cylinders ap mulch and recede from each other. Within the central eccentric cylinder is the tubular valve open at both ends but divided transversely into three chambers or compartments 70, 70" and 70" by the transverse walls 71 72. The wall 72 is hollow, providing a chamber 74. 70 is the inlet chamber 70 the exhaust chamber, and 70 an intermediate conducting or compression chamber. The chamber 74 will be ater described.

Piston blades and piston chambers.An inwardly projecting transverse partition or wall 54 divides the piston chamber into two lateral halves, this wall being preferably hollow and connecting with passages or channels 171, 172, 173, formed in the walls of the cylinder 50 and heads 51 and 52, forming a part of a cooling or supply system described in another application, Serial No. 457,350, filed by me on the 12th day of October, 1908, and hereafter more fully referred to. \Vhile I have shown the iston cylinder formed in one piece and divided by the partition 54, it will be seen that there these ichambers is.

are practically two chambers, the second larger than the first, and that each one of racticall the same'as the piston chamber s own in ig. l and heretofore described.

The eccentric 60 is grooved to receive the inner end of the wal 54, and in order to ractically form this groove so that the cylinder may be roper y placed in position, 1' form one-half of the eccentric in the form of a sleeve 61, which is forced onto the cen-- tral shaft portion or corefill of the eccentric after the cylinder is put in place. The sleeve 61 may be held in ace by shrinking upon the core 41 or by pinning 1t thereto. v

Surrounding the eccentric bod 60 and rotatably mounted thereon are t e sleeves 80, 81, of the same construction as before described, each one being circumferentiallyrooved for the en agement with a base 92 aving outwardly eveled side edges. The

blades, 93, 94, are pivoted to the base 92 in the same manner as previously described as with reference to the blades 23. There are, of'course, two series of blades, one for each of the piston chambers. The outer ends of the blades are received in transverse pockets 55 having outwardly inclined walls, as previously described to ermit variation in angular directions of the lades, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 11. J

The port system.-While in the first form described there was only one series of inlet passages and of,outle't passages, in the form now being consideredwhere steam is to be used directly in one chamber and expansively in the other, or a charge is to be compressed in one chamber and then exploded in the other, it is obvious that a third intermediate valve chamber must be used between the inletand outlet portions of the valve, and that, hence, ports and assages must be used to carry the motive fluid to the first chamber of the cylinder to carry it out therefrom into the intermediate valve chamber, into the second piston chamber and from thence into the exhaust pipes. To these ends therefore I rovide 1D. the tubular valve, 70, the in ct port, and in the inner chamber, 70 two transferring ports, 70, alining with the outlet from the rst piston chamber; and the transferring.

orts 70 leading to the second chamber, all ocated in valve chamber 70", while the chamber 70" is provided with two sets ofv gine is opened, the other inlet out therefrom erase the ports, 70, ,of the central rotatable valve,

and conduct the steam or compressed gases from the first-piston chamber-into the intermediate valve chamber, 70". a

The sleeve, 81, surrounding the eccentric portion 61 is recisely the same as the sleeve, 20, previous y' described with relation to Figs. 2 and 3, and is likewise provided with the one series of inlet ports 61 and the two arallel series of outlet ports-61 which register with the two parallel series of outlet passages formed in the eccentric and leadto the interior thereof where they regis; ter with the two seriesof ports, 70, in the rotatable valve. The second piston chamber and its part.- The-second piston chamber is 'in general features like the first. provided with opposed inlet see Fig. :15, and with two series of oppose outlet passages 60, the inlet passage 60 The eccentric 60 is passagesv 60;i

registering with the port 7 0 in the tubular valve and the two outlet passages 60 registeringwith the outlet ports 7 0 of the valve. It isto be understood of course that the port 70 and the ports 70 are on diametrically opposed sides of the tubular valve so that when one inlet port on one side of the enport will be closed, and that those outlet orts will be opened which are opposed to t e inlet, this being precisely the same arrangement reviously described, as in Figs. 2 and 3. he eccentric is also provided with the sleeve 80 corresponding to the sleeve 81 of the first chamber, and is provided with the three rows of ports, as shown in Fi s. 6 and 7 It will be obvious from t e description above given that each of the iston chambers with its blades, sleeve an eccentric is precisely the same as the piston chamber previously described, as far as its general construction is concerned; and that each of these chambers is therefore provided with means for the induction of motive fluid at one end of the chamber and the eduction of motive fluid at the other end of the chamber. (hen the blade has passed around the chamber and in its passage cut off the inlet port, explosion will occur and the exhaust ports will be opened to permit the discharge of the burned gases.

, It is to be noted that the exhaust ports 80 of the ring 80 are extended circumferentially on their inside ends, as shown in Fig. 15 so that the inlet port on one chamberis opening or starts to open just before the exhaust in the opposed chamber has closed. This is for a purpose later described.

Explosion chamber cut ofl nwcham'sm.- While the mechanism heretofore described is sufiicient tov provide means for using steam expansively, to permit the second piston chamber to be used for an explosion of a charge, it is necessary to provide means whereby the secpnd piston chamber shall be cut off from any connection with the chamber 7 and thereby with the compression or fir.t chamber of the engine.

In describin the peculiar details of construction whic fit my engine to be used as au'internal combustion engine, I shall refer to the first chamber as the inlet and compression chamber and to the second chamber as the ex losion chamber.

' As wil be seen from Fig. 11, the inlet passages 60 to the explosion chamber extend from the hollow center of the eccentrlo to the exterior thereof where they connect with cut of! ports in the sleeve 80, as described. Intermediate of the interior and exterior of the eccentric ()0 I place a rotatable ring 100 which is provided with ports 100 equal in number to the spaces between the pistons and adapted in the revolution of the ring to register with the passage 60. While I might use a port having an area equal to the cross section of the passages 00, this would weaken the ring too much, and I therefore provide the ring at these points with perforations for the passage of the motive fluid. These perforations act also to more thoroughly mix the charge before it enters the explosion chamber. I do not Wlsh to limit n'iyself'to the use of perforations, as any form of ports are the equivalent therefor.

As the eccentric (30 is fixed, means must be provided whereby this internal ring or band 100 may rotate with the exterior rotating piston cylinder, and to this end 1 form one end of the ring 100 with a recess 101, into which projects a pin 102 which is engaged with the wall or partition 54 at its inside edge. This in I have shown as in the form of a screw, at of course the details of this construction may be varied in many ways. It is to 'be noted that the recess 101 is longer than the diameter of the screw pin 102 so as.

to allow for a certain amount ,of play between the parts and a certain variation in the relative osition of the ring and blades when the cy inder is being rotated in op 0- site directions. This is necessary in or er that the ports of the' ring may not be in line with the ports 80 and so that as shown in Fig. 22, the ring ports will register with the ports of the eccentric before the eccentric passages and the sleeve ports register, the reason for this being shown later. If the engine was only going to move in one direction, the rin 100 could be set so that it ports 100 wou d be permanently in advance of the ports 80, but as the en ine is to be reversed, it is necessary to provi e means such as the elongated pin slot, whereby the ring may have a certain lag in its movement or shift so as to carry its ports ahead of the sleeve ports, whether the engine is moving in one direction or the other. There are other functions of the ring 100 in connection with a self-igniting means, which will be brought out later.

Igm'tzon.The igniter for the ex losive engine shown in Fig. 9 consists c three spark plugs 110 of any usual or desired construction, which are screwed into the piston casing at a point between the blade pockets. The spark plugs are connected by means of the wires 111, each to a contact member 112, which is attached to the end of the cylinder 50, as shown in Figs. 9 and 18. This connection may be made in any suitable lllflll' ner, but I have shown two insulatin r plates 113 clamped together by screws 113 etween which the end of the wire 111 is received, and between which the end of the contact ball 112 is also clamped. There are of course three contact members 112 corresponding with the three piston chambers A, B and C. These, in the rotation of the iston chamber, contact with a contact mem- )Ol' 155, held within the orbit of the contact members 112. There are two of these contact members 155, one oncach side of the engine adapted to be used, one when the engine is running in one direction and the other when the en ine is running in the reverse direction. he n'iechanism whereby one or the other of the -ontact members is thrown into the path of movement of the contact members 112 will be hereafter described. I

While the crank and latch construction for rotating the interior valve 11, as shown in Fig. 1, might be used for rotating the interior valve 70, shown in Fig. 9, I preferably use another means. To that end, preferabl the tubular valve is flanged at its en as at 75, and is en aged by an interior flanged ring 45 boltcf to the end of the shaft 40. This construction allows the tubular valve to be inserted within the core of theeccentric and then to be fastened in place by ap lying the ring 45. This ring also holds in ace a pin 121, which rojects transversely through a tubular spin lo 122, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. The end of this pin 121 projects into a spiral slot or groove 121, shown clearly in Figs. 19 and 20 which surrounds the extremity of the tubular valve 70. It will be obvious that upon a longitudinal motion of the spindle 122, the pin and slot connection will cause the valve 70 to be rotated in one direction or the other depending upon the direction of movement of an alias want the extremity of as .tubu- P 131 designates a casing surrounding the exterior of thetubular portion 53, and movable longitudinally therealong. This casing is hollow, and at its middle is provided with a circumferential bridge piece 132 which is grooved on. its inside diameter for the reception'of a segment 133, this segment being connected to the cross head of theprojection of the pin 124 therethrough.

It will be obvious from the description and the drawings that as the tubular portion 53 must revolve with the piston cylinder, it is necessary that the cross head 123 should also revolve, and that this revolution of the cross head, 1ts attached spindle 122 and the tubular portion 53 is attained by means of the pin 124, which connects these parts, and that the segment 133 has a revolution within the groove formed on the inner face of the bridge-piece 132. While at the same time it must move backward or forward as the casing 131 is moved. As a consequence when the casing 131 is moved, the spindle will also be moved and the rotatable valve 70, will be turned in one or the other direction, as before noted. The casing 131 also acts-as a supply chamber, and is therefore connected to a supply pipe 136 which may either pass to a source of steam sup ly or to a source of motive fluid supply, such as gasolene or other hydrocarbon. Preferably,

however, where my engine is being used as an internal 'combustlon engine, I provide another system for supplying the motive fluid. A flexlble pipe 135 connects the'pipe 136 with any suitable tank or carbureter.

In order to slide the casing 131 backward or forward, upon the tubular portion 53, I

' preferably provide a shaft 140, to which is connected a crank handle 141. This shaft passes inward from one side of the engine through a suitable bearing 143 formed on the base of the engine to the vertical. center thereof, where it is provided with the crank arm 144, which in turn is connected by a link 145 to a lever 146 which is pivoted at its lower end to the portion of a base as at 147. The upper end of this lever is pivoted to the casing 131 so that as the crank 141 is turnedin one direction or the other, the casing 131 will be shifted back or forth. The lever 146 is preferably formed with two arms, as shown in F ig\18, which are pivoted at their lower ends to the rod.147 and at their upper ends are connected by the bolt 148, which passes through ears formed on the casing .131. Preferably the connecting rod 145 is pivoted on a transverse rod 149 which passes through the two arms of the lever 146, as shown in Fig. 18, and is con- .ity the contact member 155.

tease? upon vertical shafts 152, one on either side 0 the engine. Set screws 157 permit the crank arms to be adgrusted in the precise position required for e ecting the operation.

The crank shafts 152 are coupled at their upper ends by an insulating coupling,'each to a vertical shaft 153 which carries at its upper end an arm 154 having at its extrem- The upper shaft 153 is connected by Wires 156 to any suitable source of electricity or sparkingmechanism. It will be seen that a rotation of the shafts 152, 153 causes the arms l54'to move inward or outward and it will be noted from the drawings that the crank arms 151 project in the same directions from the shafts 152, and that therefore an inward movement of the arms 150 tends to revolve theshafts 152-153 in the same direction, thus moving one of the contact members 155 inward into the path of movement of the contacts112 and the othercontact member 155 outward and away from the path of movement of the rotating contacts. My mechanism therefore provides that when theinterior valve is rotated to actuate the engine in one direction, the proper contact members shall be brought into the path of movement of the rotating or engine contacts, while when the engine is reversed, the other contact member will be brought into this path, and the first cont-act member thrown out of the path. This is ofcourse necessary inasmuch as in one case, the firing chamber is on one side of the engine while in the other case the firing chamber is on the diametrically opposite side of the engine.

Vhile of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact detailed construction I prefer to use the form of coupling shown in Fig. 19 between the shafts 152 and 153. This coupling consists of a tubular thimble 160 screw threaded on its exterior, which engages a cap 161 whose central portion is contracted and is also screw threaded. The ad joining ends of the shafts 153, 152 are flared outwardly and between these ends is placed a non-conducting disk 162. Sleeves 163 of non-conducting material are placed on the ends of the shafts 152, 153 and abut a ainst the disk 162. As the cap and thimb e are -screwed together, these sleeves will be forced into very close frictional engagement with the flared ends of the shafts 152 and 153, and thus the two shafts will be held together and will move as one. The upper end of the shaft 153 is rotatably mounted in :1. lug 131 which projects from the casing 131. The

interior of this lug is of course provided with the insulating sleeve 165 shown in Fig. 18.

oolz'ng system.0f course in an interlor combustion engine, it is necessa that the walls of the piston chamber shoul be cooled and in the peculiar form of internal combustion chamber devised by me, it is necessary that the eccentric body 60 should also be cooled. I have devised for this means a system wherein either water or gasolene is circulated through channels or ducts formed in the walls of the cylinder and in the body of the eccentric and this system is described in detail and claimed in separate applications made by me on the 12th day of October, 1908, and numbered 457,349, 457,350. In order that my engine may be understood completely, I show these ducts and channels, though I do not need to go into any extended description thereof. Briefly the central fixed shaft is provided with a longitudinal duct 170 which extends along practically the whole length of the shaft and beneath the piston cylinder. The exact form of construction of these ducts is not necessary to detail as it is fully set forth in my I pending application. The wall 74 which d1- vides the compression chamber from the exhaust chamber 70 is hollow and is connected by orts to the duct 170 so as to permit a circu ation of cooling fluid into the wall 74, and thus prevent all chance of igniting the compressed mixture in the compartment 70 by the wall becoming overheated by contact with the exhaust gases in the compartment 70".

At its extremity, the duct 170 is connected to an annular chamber 171 formed in the head 52. This annular chamber in turn communicates with an internal chamber formed in the walls of the cylinder 50 and of the partition 54. This chamber 172 communicates with an annular chamber 173 in the head 51, and from thence passes into a duct 174 formed in the hub 51'. From this duct the fluid may either pass out by the rotating discharg'e'nozzle 175' or by means of the pipe 176 which is connected to the gasolene tank 177. If water is supplied from the water tank 179 through the pipe 179, it passes through the various ducts and channels heretofore described and out through the nozzle 175, but if gasolene is used as a cooling means, it 1passes from the tank 177 to the pipe 178, t ence downward into the various ducts and chambers, and out through the pipe 176, to be again returned to the tank 177, thus securing a constant circulation of the gasolene, which will absorb the heat from the cylinderv and thus become warmed into better condition for vaporization.

While I have shown details which will make my engine a completely operative one either for steam or for an explosive mixture, I do not wish to be limited thereto, as of course details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be varied in many ways withchamber.

out departing from the spirit of my invention.

In Figs. 16 and '17 I show a modified manner of attaching the piston blades to the sleeve which surrounds the internal cylinder, 60. In these the sleeve is made in two lateral halves 180 and 181. Each piston blade, 182, is pivoted to the portion 180 by the lugs 184, and extends out from the edge of the ring portion 180 across the face of the portion 181. The portion 181 is recessed as at 183, thus providing two upstanding shoulders 185 which act to limit the circumferential movement of the blade 182 and the )ortion 180 relative to the portion 181.

acking, 186, is provided between the adjoining edges of the two portions 180 and 181 so as to prevent the passage of steam through the joint at this point.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 16 and 17, when combined with the construction previously described, ermits of self-ignition and of having tie fuel com ression chamber shut during the period w an the loading chamber is open tothe explosion three ports on the inlet end of the cylinder 181 can be made to serve for intake ports in both forward and reverse directions,the cutaway portion or recess 183 permitting the sleeve portion 181 to dropbehind the length or extent of said cut-away recess, thus assing the intake port from the front 0 the blade to the back thereof. The portion 180 has six ports arranged in pairs, all serving as exhaust ports in series of twos, 180", on reaching the exhaust side. a

It ma be pointed out that the inlet passage an the outlet passage in the eccentric may be in communlcation, thus forming a loading chamber. Any cavity, however, in the eccentric may form an extension to the loading chamber. Two or three ports serve asexhausts upon the first change from pressure to exhaust and when only near the close of the stroke, it, of course, being understood that the cut-ofi' ring 100 is not needed for steam.

The operation of the double form of my invention shown in Figs. 9 to 15, inclusive, as a double expansive engine is evident, it, of course, being understood that the ring 100 is not needed, nor, of course, the igniting and timing arrangement shown, the engine acting as a mere doubling of the engine shown in Figs. 1 to 7, and merely having two piston chambers, one larger than the other, the steam being used primarily in the first or smaller chamber and then passin to the larger chamber and expanding stil farther to do its work. Steam enters the first chamber through the port 70 and through the eccentric and the sleeve surrounding the eccentric. It acts upon the blade in advance of the part through which it enters and With this construction a series of passage.

drives it around until the inlet orts have closed and the blade behind it as passed the inlet passage in the eccentric, 61, and its inlet port has registered with the inlet The space between the blades is now full of steam which has partly done its work and remains full until the outlet port of the chamber 91 registers with the outlet passage of the eccentric, 61, whereupon, as

- 0 the cylinder wall. and the face of the eccentric come together, the steam in this space will be forced out through the outlet assage and into the intermediate chamr, 70", of the inher valve. The inlet passage, 60, of the second piston chamber 90 will now be in alinement with theort 7 0 of the valve and steam will expand into the piston space, 90, of the second or larger 0 linder, acting against the ad acent blade t erein to force it around until the ports of that iston space are closed, this point being t e point of cut off. The steam now expands and when the exhaust ports of th1s piston space register with the exhaust passage, 60", the steam will be forced out therethreugh into the exhaust chamber, 70" of the central valve 70 and so out of the engine.

While I have spoken above ofthe ring 100 as not being used for steam, it is to be understood that while it may be present, it

ma'ygbe fixed or attached to the eccentric-so t its orts always register with th s asflsages of the eccentric and that it will not have its precise function as a cut-off 3 5 and as a sparking ring dividing the loading chamber from the compression chamber.

As an internal combustion engine the thus operation is as follows:' The first cylinder or piston chamber acts-on its inlet s1de to 40 draw in .the explosive vapor through the inlet port, 70%, of the central valve and then compresses the vapor and forces it out; on its outlet side through the outlet port, 70, by the coming together of the internal and external surfaces of the piston casing and eccentric. The vapor is thus forced under' com ression into the compression chamber, 70 where it is held under compression until the perforations of the. ring, 100, are

in alinement with the inlet passage, '60, of

the eccentric. When this occurs, the comressed charge rushes into the passage, 60, ut cannot pass out into the piston chamber because the ports in the sleeve do not regis ter with the passages, The passage 60" therefore forms a loading chamber in which the charge of vaporls held under compression.

It will be seen from Fig. '15 that the ports 60 of ring 100. are in advance of ports 80 of sleeve 80, and, hence, that the ring 100 has just closed the inner end of the passage 60 when the ports 80 begin to register with the other end of the passage, and that, therefore,-there is absolutely no communication charge from the loadin into the space C throng v the port 80, while between the piston space and. the interior make use, as an. igniting means, of the hot gases assin out through the exhaust passage rom t e piston space opposed to the one wherein the explosion is to occur. This peculiar means of lgnition is also shown in Fig. 15; In this figure it will be noticed that the. adjoining surface of the eccentric and piston casing do not quite meet so that a slight space, is left between the surfaces, this space connecting the piston space, C', with piston space C The compressed chamber is rushed the exhaust gases are rushing in from piston space, B, through the port 80 into the passage 60". In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 15, the ring 100 has closed the inner end of the loading chamber and the sleeve 80 has rotated just sufficiently so that its port 80 of piston space C has just begun to. uncover the outer end of the loading chamber. The compressed rushes through the port and is forced backward through the space X into the space C It will 'be seen. that the outlet ports, 80*, of the sleeve are circumferentially extended on their inner sides as shown at Z and, hence, have not yet passed the outlet passage 60. As a consequence, the c0mpressed charge meets the hot exhaust gases still flowing out of the port 80 of the space C is ignited,-and the ignition is communicated-to the charge in space C, which, of course, explodes, driving the piston forward. Upon the ports 8O of the sleeve alining with the exhaust passage 60. the exhaust ases are forced out through the passages mto the exhaust chamber, 70" and so out of the engine through the tubular shaft.

It will be seen that with my engine used as an explosive engine, the cut-ofi ring per forms amost important function, namely,

that of cutting off completely the piston space from the compression holding chamber, 70 In conjunction with the sleeve 80 it also acts as a gas lock, preventing the piston space having-at any time a communication with the compression chamber, and

thus preventing all chance of back-flare.

The operation of the rotatable central valve, 70, by' means of the crank 141 is evident from the drawings. Upon a a movecharge 100 ment of the crank in one direction or the other, the sleeve 131 is moved backward or forward upon the rotating end of the tubular portion 53. This, of course, acts to move the cross head 123 which shifts the tubular connection 122, the transverse pin of which engages with the spiral slot 121' to turn the tubular valve in one direction or the other, depending upon the direction of movement of the tubular portion 122. At the same time that the arm 141 is moved, the shafts 153 are also actuated to either force the contact terminal on one side or the other into the path of movement of the contact piece on the cylinder, and thus compel a sparking upon one side or the other side of the cylinder, direction of rotation of the engine.

If the arran ement above stated for selfignition is used, it is to be understood that the ignition by electric spark is only used to primarily start the engine upon the first ignition or until it becomes hot enough so that the charge will ignite and explode upon a flare-back, as before stated.

It, is to be understood in connection with the foregoin description and with the claims appended that the sleeve surroundmg the eccentric in both forms of my invention is part of the blade and is the means whereby the blade is held in close, steamtight contact with the circumference of the eccentric, as well as the means whereby the ports are opened and closed for the admission andexhaust of ,motive fluid. It will also be seen that the central eccentric cylinder forms an eccentric abutment against which the motive fluid presses to force forward the piston blade. Hence, the eccentric forms not only an abutment for this purpose, but also a tubular body permitting the introduction of motive fluid to the piston chambers.

While I have shown what I believe to be the best form of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown or to the details of construction. These may be varied without in any manner departing from the principle of my invention and may be changed to adapt the engine to various uses. Power may be taken from the outer cylinder itself, or may be taken from the rotating tubular extensions or hubs support ing it.

- From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will .be apparent to those skilled in the art with out further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any -of the advantages of this invention.

depending upon the i c Having thus fully described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rotary engine, an external cylindrical casing and an internal cylinder eccen- .tric to each other, radially movable blades carried b one of said cylinders, the internal cylinder iaving an inlet passage and an outlet passage diametrically opposcd to each other and located at opposite ends of the cylinder, a rotatable element on the internal cylinder, and means for connecting the blades with the element to move therewith.

2. In a rotary engine, anexternal piston casing carrying inwardly and outwardly sliding blades each mounted for lateral oscillatory movement to and from opposite sides of the radius of the external casing and a fixed internal cylinder eccentrically set to the axis of the exterior casing, a carrier for the blades upon said cylinder and means for admitting motive fluid to the space between the casing and eccentric and exhausting it therefrom.

3. A rotary engine including an external rotary piston casing carrying centrally projecting, radially movable blades, a fixed internal cylinder, eccentric to the axis of the external casing, an annular carrier mounted on and extending around the circumference of the internal cylinder for supporting the inner parts of the blades and rotatable with the latter, and means for admitting motive fluid to the space between the casing and eccentric and exhausting it therefrom, said external casing having transverse outwardly extending pockets into which the piston blades are received.

4. A rotary engine including an external rotary piston casing provided with trans verse pockets, the walls of which are out wardly inclined, blades in each of said pockets, and movable inwardly and outwardly toward and from the center of the casing, a fixedinternal cylinder, eccentric to the axis of the external casing, and means for admitting fluid to the space between-the casing and eccentric and exhausting it therefrom.

5. A rotary engine including an external rotary piston casing having transverse pockets, centrally projecting radially movable blades mounted in said pockets, a fixed internal cylinder eccentric to the axis of the exterior casing, a sleeve surrounding and rotatably mounted upon said cylinder to which the inner ends of the blades are pivotally attached, and means .for admitting motive fluid to the space between the casing and eccentric and exhausting it therefrom.

6. A rotary engine including an external rotary piston casing, a fixed internal cylinder, a rotatable sleeve surrounding the inried by the piston casing, said blades on thei inner ends having a pivotal and circumferential sliding engagement with "the said sleeve, and means for admitting motive fluid to the space between the casing and eccentric and exhausting it therefrom.

' fluid in the space between the casingand eccentric.

8. A rotary engine including an external rotary piston casing having transverse pockets, and a fixed internal cylinder eccentrlc to the axis of the'piston casing, a sleeve surrounding, said cylinder and provided with ports adapted to engage with inlet and exhaust ports in the eccentric cyhnder, and blades carried in the pockets of the piston casing, said blades having at their inner edges a pivotal and sliding engagement with the face of said sleeve.

9. A'rotary engine including an externa rotary piston casing provided with transverse pockets, a fixed internal cylinder eccentric to the axis of'the piston casing, a sleeve surrounding said cylinder and provided with ports adapted to register with inlet and outlet ports in the cyllnder, saidsleeve having a circumferential groove, blades carried one in each of the pockets, and base pieces to which said blades are pivotally attached, said base pieces adapted to slide in the groove of the internal cylinder and being cut away at their middle to prevent obstructing the ports of said sleeve.

10. In a rotary engine, an exterior rotary piston casing, an internal fixed eccentric, blades mounted on the exterior casing and extending across the space between the face of the eccentric cylinder and the inner surface of the exterior casing, means whereby motive fluid may be admitted behind the piston blades, and exhausted from before the same, and means for ermittingj the piston blades to have a radia movement inward or outward, and a variable angular direction.

11. In a rotary engine, an external rotary piston casing, a fixed internal cylinder eccentric to the axis' of the external casing, a sleeve surrounding the cylinder but .rotatable thereon, inwardly-projecting blades carried by the piston casing and pivoted to the sleeve, means for permitting the blades to have radial movement, means for permitting the blades to vary in an angular direc- "sleeve.

tion, and means permitting the-inner ends of the blades toapproach nearer'to or farther from each other while engaged with said 12. In a rotary engine, an external casing and an internal cylinder set eccentrically to each other, radially-movable blades carried by the exterior casing and extending toward the internal cylinder, said internal cylinder having an inlet assage and an outlet passage diametrical y opposite to each other and located at opposite ends of the cylinder,

a central rotatable valve mounted within the internal cylinder and open at opposite ends of the engine for connection with supply and exhaust conduits and having an inlet portion adapted to open into said inlet passage, and an outlet portion adapted to open from the said outlet passage of the central cylinder, and means connectin the valve with the casing to rotate therewit 13; A rotary engine having a series of piston chambers, pistons rotatably mounted in each chamber and including blades, a common casing surrounding the pistons and connected with and rotatable by the blades thereof, and means whereby motive fluid may be carried successively from one cylinder to the next and exhausted from the final cylinder.

14. A rotary engine having two piston chambers including asingle external rotatable element and a plurality of rotatable internal elements forming the inner and outer walls of the chambers, one of said chambers taneously, and means for conducting the motive fluid from the first-named chamber to the second.

15. A rotary engine having a series of piston chambers, a motivefiuid inlet into the first chamber, an outlet from the last chamber, an intermediate transmission chamber connecting alternately with one or the otherof two adjacent chambers and acting to transmit fluid from one chamberto the other, piston blades mounted rotatably in each piston chamber, and means for rotating the intermediate chamber synchronously with the blades to cut the said chamber into and out of communication with the piston chambers.

16. A rotary engine having a series of piston chambers, each of said chambers being adapted to receive motive fluid and to force said fluid out therefrom, a series of rotatable blades mounted in said chambers, a tubular inlet-chamber having a port adapted to register with the inlet port of the first piston chamber of the series, an intermediam-transmission? chamber having a port 

